Railway switch



H. R. SMITH RAILWAY SWITCH May 24, 1949.

Filed July 16, 1946 f 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I IIIMHMHHNHHMMHHIIMINHWV.

Z .md

| vENToR Happy Sm.

ATTORNEY H. R. SMITH RAILWAY SWITCH May 24, 1949.

2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 Filed July 16, 1946 INVENTOR Hippy zzz/z.

67S ATTORNEY Patented May 24, 1949 RAILWAY SWITCH Harry R. Smith, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 16, 1946, Serial No. 683,885

1 claim. 1

My invention relates to railway switches, and particularly to railway switches in which the movable switch points are resiliently supported through the medium of roller bearings to reduce friction While the switch is being thrown To provide the best operation of switches of the type described it is desirable that the roller bearings should support about 80% of the weight of the switch points and their connections, the remainder of the dead weight and the weight of passing trains being carried by the usual riser plates. The Weight of the switch points varies considerably with the length of the switches, the degree of wear of the switches, the type of connections employed, the 4rail size, etc., and it follows therefore that in order to obtain the desired operative relation between the roller bearings and the switch points it is necessary to be able to readily adjust the resilient means which supports the roller bearings in a manner to vary the amount of support provided to the switch points by the roller bearings.

One object of my invention is to provide novel and improved means for accomplishing this resuit.

According to my invention, each switch point which is to be resiliently supported has attached to its under side a roller plate which extends underneath the adjacent stock rail, and which rides on a roller bearing mounted in the inner end of a cantilever `type supporting bracket, the outer end of which bracket is attached through the medium of compression springs, and bolts for adjusting the initial compression of the springs, to a spring bracket bolted to the outer side of the stock rail.

Other objects and characteristic features of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

I shall describe one form of railway switch provided with a roller bearing embodying my invention, and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing a portion of a railway switch point supported by a roller bearing in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig, 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in all three views.

Referring to the drawings, the reference characters I and 2 designate respectively one of the movable switch points and the adjacent stock rail of a railway switch of the usual and wellknown construction. The stock rail 2 is supported on riser plates 3 secured to cross ties d in the usual manner, and the switch point I is intended to be moved toward and away from rail 2 by any of the usual switch throwing devices, not shown.

Secured to the under side of the switch point l in any convenient manner, as by welding, is a roller plate 5 which extends underneath the stock rail 2, and the smooth bottom surface of which rides on a roller bearing 6 mounted in the inner end of a bearing supporting bracket 1. The portion of the roller plate 5 which extends underneath the rail is provided with a notch 5a the depth of which may be varied if necessary to meet the varying thicknesses of Ariser plates and weights of switch points.

The bearing bracket 'I is of the cantilever type, and extends transversely underneath the switch point I and stock rail 2 below the roller plate 5 and is provided at the opposite sides of the plate 5 with two vertical ribs 7e which cooperate with the bracket 5 to maintain the bracket in vertical alignment with the plate 5. The bracket 1 is also provided at its outer end with a vertical .surface la, with two vertical ribs 'Ib disposed at the opposite sides of the surface 1a, and with a laterally projecting lip 'Ic disposed at the upper end of the surface 1a. The lip 'Ic extends into a depending portion 8a. formed on a spring supporting bracket 8 bolted by means of bolts 9 to the outer side of the stock rail 2, and engages the upper ends of two coil springs I0 which surround the bolts I I between the lip Ic and a spring plate l2 mounted on the lower ends of the bolts. The bolts II extend upwardly with clearance through holes 1d provided in the lip Ic and through aligned holes 8b formed in a horizontally extending portion 8c of the bracket 8, and are provided above the horizontally extending portion 8c with a spring lock washer I3, a spring compression nut I4, and a lock nut I5. The depending portion 8a of the bracket 8 is rounded so as to form with the vertical portion 1a. of the bracket I a housing for the springs I0, the lower end of which housing is closed by the spring plate I2. The sides 8d of the depending portion 8a of the spring bracket 8 fit between the ribs 'Ib in a manner to maintain the bearing bracket I in a vertical position and are provided at their right-hand ends with vertical surfaces 8e which serve as guides for the bearing bracket when the bracket is depressed due to a load on the switch point I.

With the parts arranged in the manner described, it will be apparent that the roller 6 will act through the medium of roller plate 5 to exert on the switch point I an upward force which depends upon the amount of compression of the springs lill, and that the amount of compression of the springs I can readily be adjusted by first loosening:.the lock nutfI-,E anduthen screwing the adjusting lnut I4 ein yone direction crthe other. As was pointed out hereinbefore, in actual practice it is usually desirable that the upward force exerted by the roller G on the switch point rvI should be suicient to support about 80% of theweig'ht of the switch point and the associ-ated sswitch point connections, and the :nuts .1:4 zwilli-usually be adjusted to provide this degreefoffsupport. It will be obvious, of course, that since-a largepart of the weight of the switch point lis supported'by means of roller 6 the amount of frictionfwliich exists when the switch .point l is reversed will be very materially reduced, thusreducing theiorce ,required to reverse vthe Switchpoint.

.Oneadvantage of V.a roller bearing assembly for supporting a Switchpoint constructed in accord- ,ance withmy invention isthat the nuts Mprovide .Y micrometer adjustment for varying 'switch point loads and are located in a position where Vthey, are-'readily accessible.

A further-advantage of.` a roller bearingl assem- `bly constructed in accordance with my invention is that it is .readily `applicable to different rail shapes .-and 'fsizes rand vdifferent switch gpoint lengths.

vAfurther advantage of a roller bearing assemly `constructed in accordance with my invention is that since theroller plate vextendsunderneath n.themain stock rail r2 theswitcnpcint I-is always .bly constructed in accordance -withlmy invention :is that all `parts are enclosed so that `they 4are .finfeiectiprotected :from the weather, "dirt, Adust,

etC.

ynAlthough I Ihave lherein :shown and l'described (toward and away from the rail, of a spring bracket vsecured to the outer side of the rail and provided with a`laterally projecting portion terminating in i-a depending vportion having curved ends, two

:spring bolts extending with clearance through `holesprovided in said laterally projecting portion andprovided above said laterally projecting por- 'tion with nuts, a spring plate mounted on the lowerfend of said bolts, coil springs surrounding said bolts between said spring plate and said laterally projecting portion, a rigid cantilever mem- .ber extending underneath said Switchpoint and said switch rail and provided at its outer end with .a lip having formed therein holes that receive REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record infthe -lleof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name `Date .394,744 Whitner .'Dec. 18, 1888 1,758,637 Wynn-Williams May 13, 1930 11,965,803 .Post July 10, 1934 

